Mario Tennis Ace-xual-s
by CloudySkies17695
Summary: (ON HIATUS...I think.) The idea of Mario saving the world by playing tennis sounds like the plot to a bad fanfiction to begin with, so what if someone actually went through with it? You could probably guess how it would turn out. Horrible.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Of Course They Made Luigi the Bad Guy. OF COURSE.

It was a beautiful day in the Mushroom Kingdom, or wherever the hell this story takes place. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming… And on days like those, readers like you…

Should be burning me at a stake for making such a shitty and forced reference.

It was an exciting day at the Marina Stadium. Don't know where that is? Me neither. It was the finals. On one side stood Bowser and his son, Bowser Jr., and on the opposite court was Mario and Peach. Odd; you'd think Luigi would be in Peach's place. At least Bowser had the dignity to play alongside his son. It's like people say. It's the literal opposite of bros before…. Hmm…

I could easily write Luigi in if I really wanted too, but not only am I trying to stay true to the game, I already established Peach as a character, so… Then again, I wrote a forest area in Stupid Mario Run, so I could do it if I really wanted to, but now, I'm kinda talking out of my ass. Moving on.

"We have officially entered the final round of the tournament!" a Toad announced. "We have reached a critical point in this match! Victory hangs in the balance like space hangs onto time! Or something…"

"The team of Mario and Peach reigns supreme, to no one's surprise!" a Blue Toad interjected. "I even have an idea for a name they can go by! Team Mareach! Good, right? I thought of it myself!"

"That's a stupid name," the other Toad bluntly replied.

The Blue Toad instantly got miffed, pounding a fist onto the table. "Well, I don't see you coming up with anything better!"

The other Toad pounded a fist onto the table as well. "Well, SOR-RY! It's just that I'm actually commenting on the game, and you're here making up names for them as if they were some kind of couple!"

The two shared banter back and forth before the two broke into a huge fight. By that point, the audio had already been cut off.

During their arguing, Mario and Peach were already at match point. All they had to do was score another point to claim victory. It was a close match, each of the four players pulling off different techniques in an attempt to score a point. Then, Bowser hit the ball up high into the air. Mario readied himself and jumped up super high. You could even say he jumped high up in the sky.

...Please shoot me.

He jumped up high into the air, and with a gleam in his eyes and a smack of his racket, the tennis ball came crashing down, barely giving Bowser or Bowser Jr. any time to react. The crowd exploded with cheer as the two winners high fived and waved to the crowd. Soon enough, a voice called out of them. They looked behind them to see Toad struggling to carry a trophy.

He placed it down, panting from fatigue before looking up at Mario and Peach. "I saw everything! Congratulations, you guys! Your teamwork was amazing!"

Mario couldn't help but to sheepishly grin and rub the back of his hair, modestly. Peach simply just giggled.

Toad picked up the trophy again. "Best of all, you get this cool trophy!"

As he handed it to the plumber, loud footsteps began to boom, causing Toad to drop the trophy on his foot, causing him to scream and yelp in pain. As he lay on the ground, Mario looked around to see who was causing the noise. Soon enough, he saw Wario and Waluigi, though they seemed kind of… off…

They stopped in front of Mario and Peach, allowing the two to get a closer look at their now fuschia-ish sclera. You'd think they had been smoking… something… You know what? I'm just gonna stop now.

Wario slowly clapped his hands. "Congratulations," he bellowed before letting out his signature laugh.

Waluigi flipped his hair back with one hand. "We knew you'd steal another win. Your teamwork matches no other." The two Wario Bros. let out a wicked laugh in unison as a sweatdrop fell down Mario and Peach's head. They looked at each with confusion and uncertainty before facing Wario and Waluigi again.

Wario cleared his throat. "Anyway, being the nice guys we are, we'd like to offer you a reward. Think of it as a gift to honor you two."

Waluigi held out the racket that he had been holding. By looks alone, it was absolutely stunning, if a bit tacky and dated.

Wario gave a snide grin. "This here is the most powerful racket in the world. The whole galaxy even!"

During that moment, elsewhere, a certain woman from space felt a cold chill go down her spine.

"Something wrong, Mama?" a Luma asked.

Rosalina shook her head, proceeding to set down her tea. "I'm fine. It's just that… I sense a disturbance."

Back on Earth, or whenever the Mario universe takes place in, Wario and Waluigi were still showing off the racket to Mario and Peach.

Waluigi flipped his hair again. "It's only suitable for the best." The two Wario Brothers let out another laugh, though it seemed more… devious.

Toad pushed Mario and Peach out of the way, a stern and suspicious look on his face. "Ok, what's going on here?" he reprimanded. "You two are acting mighty suspicious. More so than usual. So SPILL IT!"

Wario turned towards Mario. "Don't you like your gift, Mario? This racket comes straight from the Temple of Bask!"

Toad immediately froze. "Temple of Bask? You don't mean…"

That's when Luigi shoved Toad out of the way to grab the racket. Toad got to his knees to see the plumber getting the racket handed to him. "Luigi, NO!"

But it was too late. Not a second after Luigi took hold of the racket, sparks began to fly from the handle. Before he could even attempt to put the racket down, it began wrapping him up in some sort of rune-like tape.. stuff. He let out a scream of agony as dark clouds rolled in, the racket refusing to show mercy. Eventually, a tall shadow emerged from Luigi, almost forming the shape of a cross. Almost.

Mario had practically stopped dead in his tracks. He desperately wanted to try and stop what was now seemingly controlling not only Wario and Waluigi, but also his own brother. However, his feet were telling him something else. Without thinking, he tried to flee the scene. He didn't get to far, with Peach stopping him. The two looked back, seeing Wario and Waluigi fully enveloped in the same type of stuff Luigi was in, shadows of their own emerging from their bodies.

The wind became increasingly fierce. By now, everyone else was trying to run for their life, some becoming victim to the wind, itself. Mario and Peach took cover by the net post, hoping not to get blown away, too.

Then, there was silence. Almost everyone had evacuated from the stadium, the whole place being left in shambles. Toad peeked out from a corner to see the mess that had been caused. His eyes widened in horror as he took in the scenery. He slowly walked towards Mario, a feeling of rage and despair looming over him.

Mario slowly got up to his feet and dusted himself off, taking a good look around the now dismantled stadium. Okay, well, dismantled isn't exactly the correct word, but I like how it sounds.

Mario turned his attention to the mushroom retainer whose lip was quivering. Without a moment's notice, Toad began to lash out. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" he exploded."WE JUST HAD THIS PLACE RENOVATED A COUPLE WEEKS AGO JUST GO WE COULD HOLD THIS TOURNAMENT, BUT NOOOO! WARIO AND WALUIGI HAD TO GO AND RUIN IT! I SWEAR WHEN I FIND THOSE TWO, I'LL SHOVE THIS RACKET-" He stopped when he saw Mario's concerned expression. He cleared his throat. "Ahem… Sorry for my sudden outburst, Mario, but can you believe it? Geez, I'm probably going to have nightmares now…"

Toad glanced around the stadium for a bit. "I don't see them anywhere. Luigi seems to be missing, too. Where could they be?"

Mario just looked around before giving a despondent sigh, though his musing was briefly stopped by the sound of footsteps. The two turned around to see Princess Peach and Princess Daisy.

Princess Peach sighed as she held her hands to her heart. "It's a good thing you two are alright. That was really intense."

Daisy just huffed as she crossed her arms. "Leave it to Wario and Waluigi to screw something up," she huffed. "Especially Waluigi."

Peach put a finger to her chin. "Call me crazy, but I believe it was the racket that wrapped poor Luigi up."

Daisy nodded at her sister-in-arms before facing Toad. "Hey, Toad. You seems to be lost in thought. Anything on your mind? Do you know anything about this?"

Toad jumped slightly before clearing his throat again. "Ok, it may surprise you, but I know a lot about geography and archeology. I'm a total sucker for them! Anyway, though just a rumor, it's said that this island was once home to the Kingdom of Bask.

Peach placed her fist into her open hand. "Of course! I heard that archeologist recently came here to research the Bask Ruins."

Toad nodded. "A fine statement, my dear." He placed his arms behind his back and began to pace left and right. "Anyway, the ruin walls are filled to the brim with paintings of people playing tennis. However, there's one painting feature people bowing down to a racket that looks suspiciously like the one we just saw, almost as if people were worshipping it as if they were in some kind of cult." Toad stopped in his tracks to face the other three again before pointing at them. "If that's the case, then there's no doubt in my mind that that racket is controlling Luigi!"

The others flinched back a bit on surprise. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!" Daisy interjected. "Are you trying to imply Luigi is being mind-controlled by some sort of tennis racket?"

Peach looked at Daisy worriedly before facing Mario. "Then I suppose we should we off."

"NO!" Toad suddenly shouted, startling everyone.

Daisy looked at Toad crossly. "No? What do you mean no?"

Toad flinched. "Um, I mean, no, thank you. I think we're good. This seems pretty dangerous. Y-You know, for important diplomats like you, and all." Daisy continued to shoot Toad a glare.

"He's absolutely right!" an elderly voice huffed. The other four turned around to see Toadsworth, surprisingly alive and well.

"Toadsworth?" Peach quietly asked out loud. "I thought you were staying at the castle.

"Nevermind that!" the elderly Toad interjected, shaking his head. "Princess, this task seems very dangerous! I'm not letting you go!"

Peach shot Toadsworth an annoyed look before sighing. "Okay, Toadsworth," she huffed. "I already decided I would stay here at the stadium in case Luigi and the others show up.

"Splendid!" Toadsworth beamed. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to see if there's a sauna around here." With that, Toadsworth came as soon as he left, leaving the others to be in a standstill of awkward silence.

Toad felt fear rising within him. "L-Listen! I'll go with Mario! That way, in case Luigi and the others come back, you'll be there to stop them! ...Right?"

Daisy's stern look faded slightly as she sighed. "Ok, I guess… You do have a point, I suppose."

Peach nodded happily. "Ok, then. It's settled. We will leave this important task to you, dear friends."

Toad bowed. "Thank you! We won't let you down! Come on, Mario! Let's go!" That's when Toad noticed Mario was frozen in place. "Uh, Mario?" he asked before snapping his fingers.

Mario came back to his senses and looked at Toad. "Huh? Sorry, did you say something?"

Toad sighed and shook in his, but couldn't help but to give an annoyed smile. "It's nothing. Let's just head to that desert!"

As the walked got ready to walk off, Peach spoke again. "Mario? Toad? Please don't put yourselves in danger. We'll be awaiting your safe return."

Daisy nodded. "I know you two aren't really any strangers to danger. J-just make sure you bring back Luigi safely, okay?"

Mario gave a determined nod and gave the two princesses a thumbs up before getting ready to walk off with Toad again.

"Hey, guys! Can I join, too?" A not-so-distant voice asked. Mario and Toad turned around to see the voice came from Toadette.

Toad looked at her with confusion. "Toadette? What are you doing here?"

Toadette flipped her plaits. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to help you guys." She began spinning her racket, doing her best to show off. "Two is better than one, after all, so by that logic, three is better than two!"

Toad shot a stern, yet blank look at Toadette. "Sorry; no girls allowed."

Mario's face turned to that of tranquil fury as he stamped on Toad's foot. "I think we're good. Sorry, Toadette."

Toadette gasped before huffing, her cheeks puffed out wide. "Fine, then! Have fun going on an adventure ALONE!" With a flick of her nose, she strutted off.

Mario shot Toad an aside glance. "Toad, you didn't have to talk to her like that."

Toad puffed his cheeks out. "Well, she was going to get in the way of us! I had to do something!" Toad paused for a moment before becoming red in the face. "U-uh… Wait! I didn't mean it like that! I just mean that she might end up getting in the way of the adventure. B-by that I mean she might want to take a detour and force her to come with us! If I know one thing about her, it's that she can be pushy! T-that makes sense, right?"

Mario continued to shoot Toad a glance before sighing. "I mean, I guess, but you didn't have to be so harsh to her."

Toad looked down at the ground and pouted before darting his attention back to Mario. "Wait, Mario!" he exclaimed. "Don't you have some sort of weird telepathy powers with Luigi, or something? You guys are twins, right? Maybe you can use them to track him down!"

Mario looked at Toad worriedly. "Um, okay. I'll try." Mario closed his eyes and focused his attention on trying to scope out Luigi's location. He stood still for several seconds, not responding to any distractions.

Toad looked at Mario before trying to talk to him. "So, uh, what's the verdict."

Mario looked at Toad with a dumbfounded expression. "I have no idea." Toad facefaulted at this response before jumping back to his feet.

"Aw, geez. That bites," Toad huffed. "No matter, though! We'll just find him without psychic powers!"

Mario couldn't help but give a small laugh. He then took a deep breath and pointed in the direction of the Bask Ruins. "Well, the Bask Ruins are this way, aren't they? Should we go?"

Toad gave the plumber a determined nod. "Yeah! Let's do this!"

With a small handshake the two went off. The two weren't sure where Wario, Waluigi, or Luigi were, but they knew they'd find them eventually, along with the possibility of clues as to what exactly caused them to become mind-controlled. Well, aside from the racket probably being cursed, or something. It's best not to sweat things like that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: It's Funny How I Can Make a Joke About Nintendo Punking Luaisy Fans, Only For Them To Hand Out a Ship Tease in the Next Game I Write a Story About.**

Mario and Toad trudged onwards until they they made it to the heart of the desert where the Bask Ruins were said to lie.

Toad let out a heavy huff and chugged a bottle of water he had. After the water had completely been drinken, Toad wiped his lips off and chucked the bottle onto the ground. "WHOOOO!" he shouted in exasperation. "Let's do this!"

Mario just gave a slightly worried, but happy sigh as the two took another step onto the sand. That's when a Dry Bones pointed a tennis racket right at them.

"Halt!" he ordered, slamming the butt of his racket into the sand. Also, yes; that _is_ what it's called. The Dry Bones twirled the racket around before throwing it into the air and catching it. "Beyond here lies the Bask Ruins, a place of prosperity. You two have no reason to be here."

Toad puffed his cheeks out in frustration. "No reason?" he huffed. "No reason?! But we need to investigate these ruins for clues regarding the theft of this legendary racket, so why can't you let us through?"

Mario just let out a sigh as he placed a hand on the mushroom retainer's head. "Toad, allow me," he simply stated. Mario then proceeded to clear his throat, doing his best to put on a smile. "Hello, there, kind sir. My name is Mario, and-"

"Wait, Mario?" The Dry Bones interrupted. "As in _THE_ Mario?"

Mario just gave a nervous laugh. "The one and only!"

Life sparkled in the Dry Bones eyes, or at least, as much life as a dead person could have. He put a hand to his cheek and let out a heartfelt sigh."Ah, Mario… A name that spans thousands of legends. Stories tell of you having a stellar jump. Please do so if you may."

Letting out a sigh, the plumber leaped into the air, doing a small backflip. Soon enough, he landed on the ground as soon as he had entered the sky, performing a small pose shortly after his feet touched the ground.

The Dry Bones smiled a bit. "Fascinating. The rumors are true." He then shook himself out of his stupor and cleared his throat. "I mean… world-renowned hero or not, you still are forbidden to enter unless you display superb skills when it comes to the sport that is tennis." He pointed his racket at the two heroes, displaying a stern glare at them. "Prove yourselves and I'll let you pass."

Toad couldn't help but sigh. "I guess we have no other choice, huh? I can't help but feel this is going to be a theme on our journey." He turned towards Mario and gave him a determined look. "Okay then, Mario! Let's show this old geezer what for!"

The Dry Bones shot Toad an angry look, but didn't say anything. He just led Mario to the tennis court, Toad following behind them. Soon enough, the Dry Bones and Mario were on opposing sides of the court.

The Dry Bones bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Steven III, but you may just call me Steven, as that is easier to say and remember. Like your… mushroom friend alluded to, I certainly have seen better days, but that doesn't mean I can still put up a good fight." He stopped himself there and took a deep breath. "Forgive my ramblings, plumber of olde and yore. I have been telling you my life story when I should instead be teaching you the basics. Do realize I have faith in you."

Mario shot Steven a puzzling look. "I already know how to play, thank you. We can just start the match right now, if you want."

"Quiet, fatso," Steven immediately responded, shooting the plumber a glare. "I'm teaching you the basics, whether you like it or not. It's only fair, considering that I have more experience than you, and I don't just mean because I'm way older than you. You see, from a young age, tennis was forced upon me, and…"

Steven kept talking on and on, leaving Mario to just stand there uncomfortably. He wasn't sure if he should interrupt the undead prince or not, leaving him in a awkward silence of sorts.

Toad walked up to Mario and whispered in his ear. "Yo, should we ditch this old guy and sneak in?"

Mario thought for a minute before giving an uncertain nod. They went began to creep past Steven, hoping he wouldn't notice them. The very second they past him, he turned around almost instantly. "HEY!" he bellowed. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Mario and Toad fearfully turned around at the sound of his rage. Steven shot them a horrifying glare. "If you NOBODIES want to get in the temple, you have to counterattack my balls and show me what for!"

The two heroes stared blankly at the prince before Toad started violently laughing, leading Mario to whack him on the head.

Eventually, the tutorial- err, the training resumed, leaving Toad to just sit down next to the Lakitu referee and take another sip of water from a spare bottle he brought. He was almost about to fall asleep until the Lakitu told him the match was starting for real, leading to the mushroom retainer to hop up on his feet and watch in excitement.

Though feeling tense, Mario knew he had to press on. He tossed the ball high into the air and served it with a satisfying whack. Steven quickly returned it with a slice, leaving Mario to slide to the side to return it, almost losing his balance in the process. The ball reamined airborne for several returns, but eventually, Mario was able to mess Steven up by performing a well-timed lob shot, giving the him the point.

Okay, look. I'm not actually sure if you're actually able to pull that off before the Temple of Bask. I'm too lazy to check, and this one video online didn't show it, so we're gonna do another ass pull again, I guess.

Actually, nevermind. I checked. You can.

Huh.

Almost as soon as it started, the game was about to end. All Mario had to do was score another point. The whole arena was shrouded in suspense and tension.

As a single drop of sweat down the plumber's head, he readied himself to serve the ball once more. He flung it high into the air and he served with with a satisfying whack. Steven quickly returned it with a slice, but that wasn't enough to stop Mario, who quickly countered with a basic shot.

The rally surprisingly continued for quite a while, but it had to end eventually. With a glimmer in his eyes, Mario concentrated all his focus on the ball and hit it with a lob. Steven tried to run over to get it, but he was off by just a bit, giving Mario the point.

"Game, set, and match!" the Lakitu cried out. "The winner is Mario, the server!" Toad began to cheer as he ran over to give the plumber a high five, leaving Steven speechless.

"I… lost?" Steven eventually stammered almost silently. Mario and Toad looked at him in confusion. "I lost…?" Steven remained silent until he dropped his racket and clutched his head tight and began to shake rapidly. "No, no, NO! This can't be possible! How am, I, the prince of tennis, supposed to lose to mere peasants? I spent all my mortal life training for moments like these, only for it all to come crashing down and SHATTER! My hard-as-diamond pride… shattered within an instant! I thought diamonds were supposed to be unbreakable! What will the gods think of me now? Will they stop animating my corpse, leaving to be in a eternal state of nothingness where I can't even cry for help? All because I lost some stupid match? Will the universe now collapse in on itself because of this? That can't be true! I won't have it! I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!"

Steven caught his breath and panted rapidly. Mario and Toad just looked at each other with concern before facing Steven again.

"Dude, calm down. It's just a game." Toad bluntly stated.

Steven looked at Toad before letting out a couple, slightly insane laughs. "Heh, heh, heh… I see what's going on here… You want to destroy the temple, is that it?"

Toad was floored by this. "What?! We never said-"

Steven just chuckled. "I know you're lying. You're already corrupted by power. Anyone like that deserves to... DIE FOR THE KING!"

Toad had enough with this. He went over and smacked Steven clean across the face. The Dry Bones looked at Toad, disgusted. "How dare you touch my with those filthy- Ahem… Excuse me for my outburst. You have shown me that you have stupendous skills in tennis." He walked over to the entrance of the temple and bowed. "You may enter."

Toad huffed. "Finally! We get to go inside! There's gotta be a hint in here somewhere! Let's go, Mario!"

Mario just gave a hesitant nod, still a bit flustered by Steven's sudden outburst.

As they walked in, Toad whispered to Mario again. "What a nutjob."

Mario just nodded as the doors magically closed behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Ultra Smash is Ultra Trash, Amiright? ...Unfunny Doesn't Begin to Describe Me.**

As the two entered the temple. They saw a quick glimpse of what seemed to be the heart of it before it was quickly sealed off.

Toad let out an annoyed sigh. "I'll go get the candles…"

All of a sudden, the candles in the room lit up one by one, the place soon being quite immuninated, giving off a nice glow and warmth. Then, a voice sounded.

"visit'rs of the temple of bask. Bef're thou art p'rmitt'd to proceed, a displayeth of art is requir'd.

Toad snapped his fingers "Use English, pachino. No one understands you if you took a meat cleaver to your words."

Mario quickly turned his head to face the mushroom retainer. "Toad!" he hissed, trying to shut him up.

The voice let out an obviously annoyed sigh. "Visitors of the Temple of Bask. Before you are permitted to proceed, a display of skill is required."

Toad huffed again as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Great, another tutorial…"

Suddenly, the walls opened up a bit, displaying an illuminated button. "What the heck does this mean?" Mario and Toad simply stated in confusion. Then, without warning, a section of the floor rose, spitting out a tennis ball. Hastily, Mario hit it, miraculously hitting the wall the displayed the graphic.

A sounded chimed as that section of the wall went into the ground and another wall opened up, sharing a similar picture as the last one. Mario just sighed, preparing himself for what was to come.

Soon, enough, the trail seemed to be over, and the mysterious voice sounded again. "I sense great amounts of strength and honor in each swing, as well as an immeasurable amount of potential. I do believe you have what it takes to overcome any hardship and trial. But I must test you one last time. Please do prepare yourself."

Mario gave a determined nod and Toad… just kinda fell asleep.

Hey, let sleeping bups lie, you know?

More cryptic lights shown on the walls in front of Mario, the plumber performing different techniques for each unique one. Eventually, after he went for the tenth shot, the ground began to shake, making Mario almost lose his balance, as well as waking Toad up. Then, the entrance to the heart of the temple opened up.

Mario let down a gulp and turned towards Toad. "Well, I guess this is the way forward. You ready?"

Toad got up and just nodded. The two went forward, unsure of where to go. They eventually stumbled upon what appeared to be a dead end, only a handful of torches illuminating the place.

Mario took a good look around. "What the?" he simply asked himself out loud, unsure what to make of his new surroundings.

Suddenly, the voice from earlier sounded again, startling the two heroes. "Master Mario! I have been awaiting your most fated of arrivals! Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Aster, humble guardian of the noble King Bask. It is my duty to watch over the one known as Lucien."

Toad's eyes narrowed a bit. "Lucien? That's a pretty dumb name. Not gonna lie, it sounds really fancy, though."

Aster just sighed. "Please allow me to finish. Anyhow, as you are probably aware of by now, Lucien is the name that was given to an almighty racket once known as the Infinity Racket, its power being powerful enough to control people and giving those who wielded it immeasurable power. Many moons ago, King Bask once took hold of the racket, and with it, vanquished the kingdom and all who inhabited it. However, with the last piece of sanity and power the king had left, he sealed Lucien away, dividing its power into five separate stones known as the Power Stones. Said stones were hidden within throughout the island, and Lucien was sealed away within this very temple. Eons passed, and eventually, the racket has now fallen in new hands."

Toad shivered a bit before placing a hand to his chin. "That's…disturbing to say the least. I swear I've heard this from somewhere before, though…"

"Lucien had no trouble taking over two men so wholly motivated by greed, and, in general, were impure of heart," Aster continued. "I fear that the racket will try to gather the Power Stones and return to its original power."

Mario and Toad both jolted at this claim.

"It also appears that the racket is trying to bring this world to an end and create it anew."

Mario and Toad gasped at this. "Wait, WHAT?!"

"Allow me to explain," Aster simply stated, his tone becoming more melancholy. "It appears that seperate to this universe lies another that is occuring at the same time as this one." He stopped his monologue for his moment before continuing. "Master Mario, Luigi is your brother, correct?"

Mario simply nodded, already feeling tense.

Aster made a small sound that indicated worry. "I assumed so. There's another thing I had forgotten to mention. Lucien can link its power with the person it's controlling. Even from here, I can sense that your brother channels the same amount of potential as you, Master Mario. With that in mind, with the current power Lucien is at now, the entire multiverse is on the verge of collapsing! At this rate, it is only a matter of days until time and space collapse in on each other!"

Aster's voice began to turn to that of desperation. "The only hope left is for you to gather the Power Stones before Lucien does! However, I can sense that in the near future, you will have to fight Lucien."

Mario had completely frozen up at this point. He didn't know how to handle the information that was being handed to him. There was so many thoughts going around in his head that he had pretty much shut down, his eyes becoming clouded and dull.

Toad quickly tried to get Mario to snap out of his stupor. "Mario, please! You can't lose hope now! I…I know it's really scary, but I believe in you!"

"Master Mario, please listen to what I have to say," Aster added. Suddenly, life bursted back into Mario's eyes as he looked upward. "You cannot make it though with just raw power alone," Aster continued. "You must master a technique that has been passed down for eons known as the Special Shot. Do that, and you may just pervail."

Toad's face turned to that of hysteria. "'May just?!' Wow! That's uplifting!"

All of a sudden, a figure made of light formed, looking just like Mario.

"In here is a contraption that allowed the ancient people of the Kingdom of Bask to train," Aster explained. "Here you may discover new powers within."

Mario got into a stance to show that he was ready, yet he still couldn't shake of the information he had just be given earlier, causing him to get a little shaky. Letting down a gulp, he tried to compose and ready himself.

"In order to use the Special Shot, you must first master a new power known as the Zone Shot," Aster began. "Though, with your natural prowess, I'm certain you'll not have much trouble detecting the star point. If you jump high at one, you'll be able to hit the ball to various spots on the court. Please do give it a try, Master Mario."

Mario nodded before throwing the ball into the air and giving it a good whack, the clone(?) of him returning it with precision. That's when Mario noticed what seemed to be the star point. He went over to it and jumped up high. Upon choosing where to hit the ball, he sent it crashing down. When he landed back on the ground, he felt a bit lightheaded.

"Superb!" Aster exclaimed. "Using the Zone Shot has the potential to damage the opponent's racket. As you'd expect, too much damage would cause it to break, leaving them unable to continue, and thus be crown the loser. Perfect the Zone Shot, and the way you play the glorious game that is time will be forever changed. That is no exaggeration-merely fact. If you think of the Zone Shot as an attack technique, that must mean there's a defensive counter."

"Jesus, this guy likes to talk a lot," Toad thought to himself, rolling his eyes.

"What I'm alluding to is called Zone Speed," Aster continued. "Using it sharpens your focus to unimaginable levels, seemingly letting you slow the flow of time so you can easily chase the ball down. Master it, and all distractions will seem to melt away!"

Mario served the ball once again, the copy of him soon returning it. Mario nodded before crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "This is it. MY ZONE SPEED!" He extended his arms outward as every color around him turned inverse for a second. Then, everything was almost completely still. He put all of his focus on the ball, hitting it almost within an instant. Then, time resumed, the ball zooming past the copy of him.

Aster made a noise that indicated that they were impressed. "Exceptional. You're a true natural, though that execution was a bit exaggerated. No matter, though. Regardless, Zone Speed is a good way to catch up to the ball. And do not worry-executing such a technique won't reduce the power of your Zone Shot. It's also advisable for you to master your block timing so you can protect your racket from Zone Shots."

Without warning, the copy of him jumped up in the air, red flakes of power swirling around the court. Then, the tennis ball came crashing down. At the last second, Mario was able to use his Zone Speed to help him block it with ease. He let out a sigh of relief as his copy failed to continue the rally.

"Might you be weary, Master Mario? You'll need to store up energy in order to execute Zone Speed and Zone Shots. Your energy needs to be at least a third full in order to use much moves."

All of a sudden, a small, electronic device fell in front of Toad. He was startled at first, but soon eye the machine curiously. He picked it up, and a small screen displaying Mario's stats emitted from it. Toad cocked his head in confusion.

"In order to off of such potent moves, you will need to find ways to increase your energy," Aster explained. "For one thing, your energy will increase gradually as you continue rallies and perform Charge Shots. There's also such a move known as the Max Charge Shot. As the name might imply. using it will store up more energy than a standard Charge Shot."

Mario took a deep breath before serving the ball again. When it was approaching his side, he quickly went towards it and began tightening his focus. Then, when the ball reached him, he whacked it with full force, the copy of him just barely being able to return it. Mario proceeded to return the ball with another Max Charge Shot, his copy not being able to get to the ball in time.

"Exceptional!" Aster exclaimed. "Anyway, one good method of increasing your energy is by performing a Trick Shot. A Trick Shot makes use of your particular skill set in order to help you reach balls that are afar. You can use this to your advantage by making the opponent think they have the upper edge, only for you to easily return the ball. However, Trick Shots are like a double-edged sword. Lest your timing be off, you'll lose energy insteading of gaining it. In short, it's a high-risk, high-reward type of shot. It all revolves around timing."

Mario nodded again, serving the ball soon afterwards. When the ball was being returned to his side, Mario took quick note of the star point. Putting all of his focus into it, he quickly jumped to it with incredible speed, silhouettes of him following behind him very briefly.

However, he just barely missed the ball. Hey, the Trick Shot is hard as hell to do. Don't blame him.

The second time, though, he hit it with perfect precision, which Aster was quick to point out. The rally continued, as did Mario's performance of Trick Shots getting better and better. Eventually, the copy stepped to the side, causing the rally to end.

"What a wonder Trick Shot!" Aster beamed. "Alight. I do believe it is finally time for you to unleash a Special Shot. It is a move with huge amounts of raw power and potential. Using such a move can potentially change the entire momentum of a match. Upon releasing your stored-up energy, you'll unleash a Special Shot that is uniquely you! Only when you have max energy can you perform such a technique. Now, let out the Special Shot lying deep within you!"

Mario served the ball once more, the plumber storing up more energy by performing Charge Shots. Suddenly, the screen displaying from the weird machine Toad was holding on to let out a couple beeps.

"Mario! I think you're able to use the Special Shot now!" Toad announced.

Mario faced Toad for a brief moment and nodded. He then brought his attention to the tennis ball and performed a small fist pump. He proceed to jump up, leaping from invisible wall to invisible wall. Then, he focused on where he wanted to hit the ball. He eyes gleamed as he sent the ball careening down.

When he made contact with the temple floor once again, he was obviously fatigued from performing such a powerful move. He held a hand to his head before beginning to fall down, but Toad was quick to catch him.

"Truly mesmerizing, Master Mario! It seems you are weary, after all. With time, though, you'll be able to use the Special Shot with ease. However, you have now learned all that I have to teach you. You truly are a first-rate tennis hero, Master Mario.

Toad helped to push Mario back up to his feet, the plumber still very dizzy. "Thank you, Aster!" Toad beamed. "But…where do we go?

Then, a small map appeared before Toad, he picked it up and unrolled it, the picture on it depicting the whole island. I mean, what did he expect? A portal to Narnia? God, I wish.

"The marks on the map show you where each Power Stone lies. If you need instructions on how to find each stone, feel free to check out the map I've given you two."

Toad scanned the map before looking up and giving a determined nod. "Okay. We'll do our best, Aster."

Aster made a noise that indicated content. "Excellent. I await your safest of returns and I wish you the best of luck."

Toad nodded and helped Mario up, who had since fallen down. With that he helped to guide Mario out of the temple. As they exited, Toad gave a small wave to Aster, even though he is likely a disembodied voice.

...Aster _is_ a boy, right? Apparently, it's a girl name meaning "star". It's also a type of flower. ...That's not to say guys can't like flowers. Sorry if you thought that. I don't really know if Aster is referred to by any pronouns in game. The wiki just said he was a guy.

That, and I kind of stopped playing the game at the part where there's the spooky mansi- oh shit SPOILERS!

I should be dead.

I guess I should mention something. Quite a while back, I got a review mentioning how a tennis racket having the power to end the world is stupid, to say the least. To them I say, "Oh, how little you know."

It only gets worse from here, folks, and I'm not just talking about the quality of this story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Racket is Actually Powered by Stones?! Christ, I Thought it was a Joke.**

In the last episode, Mario and Toad made their way to the Temple of Bask, only to discover a big secret. Not only is Lucien trying to retain their original power, but they are seemingly intent on wiping out the entire multiverse! Now, it's up to Mario (and Toad, too, I guess) to obtain the five Power Stones before Lucien does! Will Mario obtain the five Power Stones? Will Lucien prevail and destroy everything? Will Toad ever open up more to Mario, or even find a new favorite bathroom spot despite this presumably not taking place in the Mushroom Kingdom? Find this out and more in this episode of-eh, you can see where I'm going…

Mario and Toad began walking towards their next destination-the Piranha Plant Forest. You know, that sounds kinda dangerous, don't you think? There's man-eating horsehair plants there, they have "piranha" in their names…Oh, and they spit fire. Totally safe! Perfect for kids!

"Jeez, five Power Stones, or else the universe blows up, huh? Toad stated, putting his hands behind his head. "That's not terrifying at all." He turned towards Mario. "You feeling alright, Mario? You know, uh, after the Special Shot, and all?"

Mario gave a small nod. "Yeah, I think I'll be okay," he responded. "I'm still feeling a little lightheaded, though."

Toad smiled slightly. "Well, I'm just glad you're okay." He halted before pointing forward and striking a pose. "But we can't just stand here and get all sappy, though! There's still Power Stones afoot! Let's go, Mario! Who knows what kind of danger is lurking?"

Mario nervously laughed before continuing to walk towards the forest with the mushroom retainer. Suddenly, they were stopped by a familiar primate. Sadly, it wasn't Funky Kong. The universe would probably prematurely implode in on itself due to his perfection, anyways. It was another Kong, though, but if you played the game, or watched footage of it, you'd know who it was. I'm inevitably gonna spoil it without context in the next paragraph, though.

Toad kept trying to get past Donkey Kong, but the Kong kept sidestepping to prevent him from going any forward. He even tried going under him, but that didn't work either.

Toad puffed his cheeks out. "Hey, why can't we go any more forward? Oh, is it because it's 'too dangerous', or something stupid and trivial like that?" He huffed before turning back back and crossing his arms. "Thought so. Honestly, you have no faith in us."

Mario briefly sighed before placing a hand of Toad's head. "I'll go see if I can convince him, okay?" With that, Mario walked over to Donkey Kong, ready to at least come up with a compromise.

After a bit of chatting, Mario turned back towards Toad, smiling. "Hey, guess what? Donkey Kong said if we show our skills in tennis, he'll let us pass!"

Toad got up to his feet, already pumped. "Really? That's all we have to do? That's great! Show him what you got, Mario!"

Donkey Kong began to lead them to a conveniently nearby tennis court. Like, wow. Tennis may as well be a religion on this island. ...I'm going to stop before I offend someone. Sorry.

Toad looked around in awe. "Wow… It's so pretty here... " That's when he noticed the Warp Pipes on the court, all in a satisfying, symmetrical row. "Huh. There's pipes on the court," he pondered to himself. "Is this some kind of test?" He let down a gulp and turned towards Mario with determined eyes. "Alright, Mario! Do your best and show him you're not…monkeying around!" Toad then proceeded to perform a rim shot with a set of drums he pulled from nowhere, leaving Mario confused.

There was no time for jokes anymore. Well, that's kinda a lie, but hopefully not for now. Anyway, there was no time for jokes anymore. The match was about to start, Mario being the server. He tried to bounce the ball a couple times to ready himself, but when the ball hit the grass, it just stayed there. Like, Mario. What were you expecting?

Wait, does that count as a joke? ...OH, MOTHERF-

A bit annoyed, the plumber picked the ball up and served it properly. DK returned the ball with ease, the ball landing in the mouth of a Piranha Plant. The Piranha Plant quickly spat it out towards Mario, who reached the ball with a well-timed Trick Shot. DK tried to reach the ball, but he just barely missed.

It was still Mario's turn to serve, what with him being the server, and all. He began the rally with a topspin, DK returning it with a lob. Mario was easily able to counterattack with a slice, but it landed in the mouth of a Piranha Plant who soon spat the ball back at him.

"That seems a little unfair," Toad thought to himself. "Actually, that's really unfair. Why didn't the Piranha Plant spit it out at Donkey Kong? Is he some kind of stupid Piranha Plant whisperer?" Toad continued to pout, slowly beginning to doze off.

Soon enough, Mario just had to score one more time to win against Donkey Kong...in terms of tennis. As the rally went on, Mario noticed Donkey Kong begin to rapidly step up his game. Mario asked himself if Donkey Kong was just going easy on him the entire time, but he knew he couldn't keep pondering about things like that, lest he let his opponent score.

A star point suddenly appeared nearby Mario. Knowing what to do, he jumped in the air, and whacked the ball with immeasurable speed. Donkey Kong didn't have time to react.

"Game, set, and match!" a Lakitu cried out. "The winner is Mario!"

Mario preformed a small fist pump before giving Toad a high-five, Donkey Kong proceeding to pound the ground a few times.

Toad turned Donkey Kong and gave him a smug smile. "Oh, how sad. Looks like we won."

Donkey Kong growled for a moment before walking towards Mario and giving him a nod, clearly expressing acknowledgement and respect for the plumber's skill.

Donkey Kong reached a hand out, allowing Mario to shake it. Suddenly, Mario felt a small surge of power run through him. After the wave rushed through his body, he looked at his palms in a confused manner.

Toad and Donkey Kong looked at him in confusion. "Uh, Mario? You okay?" Toad asked.

Mario continued to stare at his palms. "I think so," he finally muttered.

Toad continued to stare at the plumber in confusion before sighing. "Well, no matter. Onwards Mario! Let's expand our horizons!" He performed another rimshot.

Mario was left dumbfounded. "I don't get it…"

Toad tossed the drums and shrugged. "Eh, it's best of you don't. Anyway, you ready to get through this forest?"

Mario nodded. "You bet! Let's-a go!"

A wide smile grew on Toad's face as the two set off again. As they ran off, Diddy Kong watched from a distance, peeking out from the tree he was hiding behind.

And thus, mission "Mario VS Donkey Kong" had ended.

Speaking of Mario VS Donkey Kong, when are we gonna get another one like the GBA game? I mean, I never played it, but it looks like a lot of fun. Even just a small sub-game would be nice.

Also, Mario got to speak a lot. I just want to hear his beautiful voice, gotdamn it.


End file.
